Appearing like a cross between an alien artifact and an overdue book from the Citadel Library, the Codex Silenda is an entirely new type of puzzle book from the mind of Brady Whitney, an industrial designer who recently reached his funding goal on Kickstarter for the project.

Initially intended as his senior thesis project at Iowa State University, Whitney conceived of the Codex as a solution to a common issue he encountered in moderns puzzles: cheaper puzzles tend to be easier to solve, while more luxe and even bespoke puzzles are far more challenging and fun, but reach a tiny subset of puzzle fans. Whitney's solution was to build apuzzle so ambitious, so intricate, and so well-crafted that it would appeal to high-end collectors while also increasing the chances for repetitive consumer use, meaning that everyone who wants to play the Codex will be able to.

The Codex is comprised of five laser-cut pages with each one acting as an intricate wooden puzzle with moving parts, gears, and locks. It tells the story of an apprentice of Leonardo Da Vinci who has become trapped reading the Codex and must solve it before his master returns. In addition to the five puzzle pages, the back of each page also features a laser-inscribed story recounting the apprentice's journey.

Since announcing the book, Whitney has also announced the addition of two new pages available to top-level donors, causing buyers to speculate whether the Codex might turn into an always-expanding game.

Although it'll likely be two years until the next set is available, click here to to place an advance order for the next round of books to be produced after May 2017. Once these reach those very excited backers, we're hoping that the book will become a future classic. Oh, and the box it comes in could be a collector's item in its own right, of course. Gotta hand it to Whitney; he doesn't do things half-assed.